1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to container closure assemblies incorporating a built-in funnel structure movable between an operative and an inoperative position to facilitate emptying of the containers thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present invention specifically relates to a dispensing container with integral funnel. One specific application is in the dispensing of fluids used in connection with motor vehicles, such as motor oil, transmission fluid, etc. Heretofore, automobile fluids have been dispensed with the aid of separate funnels and openers or oil can spouts. Disposable plastic oil containers with narrowed necks provided some improvement but still allowed age of spill part of the fluid when the user put the fluid into the fill hole.
In McIntosh U.S. Pat. No. 4,307,821 a container closure assembly is described in which a cap with internal threads with a piercing element is partially screwed onto an elongated externally threaded neck portion of a container. The assembly is held rigidly by a fracturable skirt which prevents the cap from being screwed onto the neck and hence puncturing the membrane until the end user determines to release the medicant. The user then removes the fracturable skirt and screws the top down onto the threaded neck portion of the container, thus puncturing the membrane. The user then unscrews the cap and pours out the medicant.
Previous to the McIntosh structure a patent granted to Henderson U.S. Pat. No. 2,771,218 shows a closure assembly, primarily intended for pharmaceutical products, which has a container in which its dispensing end is covered with a puncturable membrane. Similarly it also had a threaded cap with a conical piercing top. The cap is prevented from piercing the membrane by means of lugs projecting from the side walls of the container. When the user wishes to release the medicant he turns the threaded cap which fractures the radially projecting ridges and allows the cap to screw down and puncture the membrane. The cap is then unscrewed and the medicant is released.
Another patent which is pertinent is Ferris U.S. Pat. No. 3,109,562. In this patent a removable collar holds the cap and container firmly together. When the user wishes to release the medicant he removes the collar and unscrews the cap. The membrane is then pierced by a sharp knife or other such device.
Additional references pertinent to the structure of the subject invention include the U.S. Pat. Nos. to Bailen, 4,146,153; Wolf, 2,718,333; Malpas, 4,325,496; Genese, 4,196,475 and 4,203,443; Shiefken, 4,106,701; Beerman, 2,767,744; Cavazza, 4,346,820; Garcia, 4,497,351; and Portnoff, 4,475,914. In addition to the above noted U.S. patent the German Pat. No. 3,122,969 and the British Pat. No. 834,547 are also of interest.